Power outage / host standard / AirCover

[Pam-and-Albie0]

We had a reservation for 33 days (originally booked in July for Dec 26-Jan 28). We have a "strict" cancellation policy because we're legally not allowed to host for less than 30 days, making it hard to fill last-minute.

About a week into their stay, we get hit with the storms in California that I'm sure you've heard about. Everything was fine at the house but  they decided to go to their home, about an hour away, on Jan 3 because our Airbnb is ~20 min from civilization. They plan to come back Jan 7. (They rented our place as a staycation of sorts - just test-living in a rural area as they were planning on moving into a rural spot in the next couple of years.)

They had good timing because the power went out after they left. It comes back on and then off again a few times and this ultimately stretches until Jan 12. This is absolutely unprecedented according to our neighbors who've been here 40+ years. And it happened across the region.

The guests tell us they reached out to Airbnb on the 8th. They didn't even ask us for a refund nor a cancellation because they understood the "strict" cancellation policy and how hard it is for us to rebook (but we would've gladly given them a refund for the days the power was out). Instead, they were hoping Airbnb had some kind of insurance policy that handled this sort of situation.

We are on good terms with these guests so they tell us about their interactions w/ Airbnb. Support asks us what happened and we said simply,

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Net-net, we can't rebook the home and and Airbnb is taking over $8K from us because "Aircover", their promise to guests that Airbnb will steal from hosts whenever they want. 

Anyone else have a similar situation? I'm in contact with journalists right now. Should also I lawyer up? It really feels like they stole from me but I can't find legal text of any of their policies. Or am I wrong here?

ps, nothing against the guests - I feel like they would've been happy to just get a refund for the days the power was out but they got more by contacting Airbnb and had they known it was coming from our pocket rather than Airbnb's "insurance", they would've asked for a lot less. 

**[Private conversation removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Pam-and-Albie0 it always amazes me when guests (or hosts) think Airbnb is just a magic money tree and that the money will not actually come from the host (or guest). Even insurance companies will try to offload any claims onto someone else wherever they can.

Anyway, putting that to one side the quickest way to find Airbnb legal terms and conditions is to google for them. 

[Pam-and-Albie0]

I tried googling for legal t&c and can't find anything but marketing-speak. 

I've asked 2-3 support folks as well and they can't even comprehend my question and keep pointing me to help articles which never tell you who pays (which I suppose says a lot - if it doesn't say who pays, it's not Airbnb).

[Lorna170]

@Pam-and-Albie0   Your guests cancelled because an amenity (electricity) was not provided.  CS does NOT care if the whole state/county/municipality did not have electricity; the guest complained, is immediately refunded, and it comes out of your pay, not from AirBnB.

From the Resource Center:

4. What makes guests eligible for a refund, and how do you determine the amount?
Guests will be eligible for a refund if they report a valid travel issue—like the absence of a major advertised amenity, such as a pool—within 72 hours of discovery, and they provide appropriate evidence to support their report.

Guests are not eligible for a refund if a Host is able to resolve a serious issue quickly enough to avoid any negative impact on the stay or for a minor issue, like an unemptied trash can.

Typically, guests will only be eligible for a full refund for nights not spent in a Host’s space. When guests choose to remain in the space, they will generally only be eligible for a partial refund for any nights impacted by a serious travel issue.

The size of a refund depends on the severity of the issue, the impact on the guests, whether the guests remain in the space, and the portion of the stay affected.

Full refunds are generally only available to guests for major issues that cause them to vacate the space within the first 24 hours of their stay. Guests are eligible for only partial refunds if the issue is less serious, or they choose to remain in the space.

[Helen3]

How strange a two second search on Google brings them up.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/2908

It wasn't clear from your post, is the $8000 refund the refund of the remaining stay or the whole booking costs.]

If it's the balance of their stay then Airbnb has acted correctly under the terms of its policy for guest refunds I'm afraid.

[Andrii30]

Let me clarify what happened in short - your guests cancelled their stay, received full refund, PLUS on top of that YOU have to pay 8K USD to guests for their inconveniences? 

[Pam-and-Albie0]

No, not 8K on top, but since they'd paid for the month already, Airbnb is taking 8k back.

[Bhumika]

Hello @Pam-and-Albie0 ,

I am so sorry that you are not pleased with the resolution that has been passed on to you. I have raised your concern to the team and get checked if there is anything they can help you clarify! I hope you hear something soon.

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